While veteran nail techs remain invaluable resources because of their experience, there’s a new crop of talented young artists who are turning the nail industry upside down. So, we decided to scout some of the best 20-something nail pros for our first-ever 30 Under 30 awards. Get to know one of our winners, Popstar Nails owner Tina Zavala!
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Tina Zavala
Age: 27
Salon name: Popstar Nails (owner)
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Zavala grew up watching her step mother get her nails done. “She took me to the nail salon with her, and I fell in love,” says Zavala. “She kept super long nails with cool designs.” Zavala—who chose her salon nail, Popstar Nails, because of her love for Korean pop culture—earned her technician license at 18 years old. Zavala, who sources her inspiration from nail artists Pattie Yankee, Miss Pop, Max Estrada and more, challenges her technical and artistic skills by creating unique twists to the classic French manicure, mastering her soft gel nail extension application and creating her own waterslide nail art decals by sourcing HD images not typically used on nails. “I like to use the image and paint other nail art around it to customize the look—my clients are head over heels with this technique.”
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—by Angelina Lewis
